Sorry for the looong wait ^^;;;;   Been in kind of a slump,  and school is getting stressful.  So I'm typing this on a dorky school computer, therefore this chapter won't be as long as I want it to be. T.T  Oh well,  next time I'll bring a floppy disk so I can work on it more.  Thankyou to all my reviewers!  =D  I feel so….lubbed.  ^.^ Yes.  Jack's been lying on the floor this whole time.  Bloody drunk.  -_-;;;  **cough**  Anyways, onto the story!

Chapter 9: Bitterness

Jack woke up to find himself lying flat on his face on the deck of the Pearl.

"What the-- Ugh, bloody hangover…" He groaned, pushing himself up to his knees.  "Where's Diana…?"  He stood, wavering a bit, adjusting his hat and trying to regain focus.  It was about midday, and the crew of his beloved ship were making themselves busy, not giving the captain the slightest notice.

"Hey!  What the devil's going on?" Jack croaked with irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Welcome back, sir." Came the husky voice of Barbossa.  "We found you lying in stupor upon the dockside and thought it'd suite your fancy to join us the rest of the voyage." The corners of the old man's mouth rose slightly with sarcasm.

"What happened last night…?" Jack questioned.  He didn't remember a bloody thing. 

"Just the usual rum and women that is associated with the full package of Tortuga."  Said Barbossa with an innocent air.  Jack scratched his head, his brow wrinkled.  Rum.  Women.  Yes, he remembered the rum.  Must have had that first, because he couldn't recall anything having to do with women.  Accept for something to do with Diana.  Must have been before they went to shore, because nothing specific was coming to mind.  Shrugging he adjusted his belt and dusted himself off.  As he did so, he noticed Diana arriving on deck from her room.

"Miss Rose!" He said cheerfully as he tried to approach her.  However, he stumbled half way and ended up clutching Barbossa's shoulder for support. 

"Hope you 'ad a lovely evening aboard the Pearl last night." He slurred ever so slightly.  "Don't be to disappointed I didn't let ye accompany me to shore, love.  Ye didn't miss much." 

'Why the bloody 'ell was she looking at me like I was crazy...?'

Diana glared at him gingerly.  After an awkward silence of about 5 seconds, she plastered an obviously false smile across her sweet cherry lips.

"Er, yes.  Of course, Captain Jack Sparrow." She said with painfully evident sarcasm.

'Love it how she calls me Captain…Perhaps I should have everyone else refer to me that way…But what is her bloody problem?'

"Now if you don't mind, I'm busy contemplating the nature of our next route." She said rather haughtily as she turned on her heel.

"Whoa, slow down, love!" Jack said, jogging over to her, (to the crew it looked more like skipping) and putting a hand on her shoulder. She brushed it off with annoyance.

"I imagine I aught to presume that I should be 'contemplating' with you, seeming that I am the captain, and head authority present to the situation."  He said animatedly, swaying a bit as he spoke. 

"I'd wait until you are sober, Captain." Diana said tersely.  "I don't have much time."

"Love, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow.  My most ingenious ideas and brilliant insights have been shared while I was under the influence."  He slurred with a self-promoting grin.  "Besides, I ain't drunk.  Just have a bloody migraine."

"Well maybe when you are feeling better—"

"Look, darling.  I'm perfectly capable of figuring out our next route.  Just give me the proverb, an' I'll tell ye the next sign."

Diana rolled her eyes at his false confidence.

"Death becomes life under the pale moonlight, it's ghastly chant singing of misery and woe. Follow fast its wake and do not tarry, lest death's wrath is unleashed upon your souls, and you become lost for eternity."  The girl recited with chilling drama.  Jack paused a moment, his expression deep in thought.  Then his face relaxed and he smiled broadly.

"Rum.  It's talking about rum love." He stated firmly.  Diana just stared at him with a look of bewildered disbelief.

"Rum??  Is that the only thing that's in your head?  Rum?"  She yelled angrily.

"I know these things, love.  Until a man gets a good long drink, he's as good as dead.  It simply states that if ye don't drink the rum quickly, it'll be gone forever!  See?  Death becomes life!  Before ye are blanketed in that blessed vale of unawareness, all that swims in your head are rotten memories of your unfortunate life.  It's simple."  Jack said with the air of supreme knowledge.

"Then what are you proposing we do?"  Diana said shakily, thoroughly frustrated with the pirate.

"Back to Tortuga!" Jack hollered joyfully, swinging his arm with glee.  Diana grabbed his shirt collar and yanked him down so that they were face to face.  Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Look here, Jack." She said harshly.  "If you could get any more…stupid-"

"Hey, now!" Jack growled, yanking himself out of her grip.  "No need to get all excited!"

"The second sign is NOT rum!"  She hissed.  Jacks face fell with utmost disappointment.  "It's a ghost ship!" 

"Eh?" 

"You heard me.  It is an image of a ship that sails these seas on certain nights, only visible to those who have seen the first sign.  It should be appearing somewhere around here within the next few days-- At night, of course -- We are to follow it until it fades into the morning, setting our course for the next few days.  And if we stray from the path, we'll become lost at sea.  Possibly for eternity."

Jack stroked his beard knowledgably.  

"Knew it." He breathed.  Diana glared at him venomously.

"What is your problem, lass?  You've been at my throat all morning!"  Jack said defensibly.  The girl tossed her head with arrogance. 

"If you don't know I'm not going to bother telling you."  She said, sniffing haughtily.

"Well, the moment you say that you know it's a dumb reason then, aye?"  Jack said with a slight frown.  Leering at him angrily, Diana slapped him hard across the face.  Recoiling and quite taken aback, Jack rubbed the red hand mark that was forming across his cheek.  It was the first time a girl had slapped him; he had always been a lady charmer, not a lady offender. 

"Not sure I deserved that…" He mumbled as Diana stomped off.  [Note: remember, guys, this is before he's a crazy drunk. =)  He has a bit more discretion now then later, and slightly (I said slightly) less of a whoremonger,  …  **cough** anyways.] 

~*~

'The Nerve of him!'

Diana slammed the door of her cabin and marched over to her writing desk, seating herself irritably.  She shifted uncomfortably as she noticed that she hadn't touched the dress that Jack had provided her with since it was given to her.  Angrily, she tossed it into a corner of the room and buried her head in her arms.  Why was she so angry?

'Because he is a bloody wretch who doesn't give a hoot about a girl's feelings.'

            He didn't remember anything about last night.  He didn't remember how he had been fondling that…that…that surly whore!  He didn't remember how jealous Diana was…  he didn't remember that he almost kissed her…

He didn't bloody care.  To him, Diana was just another strumpet for using and forgetting, and just coincidently had one other use: finding his treasure. 

"Oh, blast it all." She wept.  "Why do I have to care?  It's almost as if I…" She sobbed bitterly in her arms.  She couldn't bring herself to say 'love'; it would only exacerbate the wound of her bleeding heart.  She always let her feelings take control of her during the most inopportune of times.  She accused Jack of being stupid when she herself was the daft one.  She was falling for a pirate.  A Pirate!  Of all the most unrespectable and low class professions in this sorry world, she was beginning to gain feelings for the lowest of all—a thieving, raiding, pillaging, plundering, no good scallywag of a pirate!  Not only were they the most shameful of people, but the most careless.  Pirates just don't go off loving one woman.  Jack had made that clear the night before.  And Diana was –not- about to become one of his many lap maids, dishonorable and unabashed.  She was a woman of dignity.  Or at least she was before old Snow got a hold of her.  But it was against her will, so she did not hold it against herself.  Fornication was something Diana had looked down on.  She wasn't about to give up her core values to a stinking pig of a man. 

'But I never swore against marital love'

No,  Jack Sparrow wasn't the type for marriage.  Diana brushed all thoughts of blissful and eternal love from her mind.  With pirates, it wasn't even a possibility.